Nidecker Gamma APX Written Review Review by The Good Ride

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Welcome to the Nidecker Gamma APX Snowboard Review from an average rider with extensive but objective board knowledge.

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A Breakdown Of How It Rides And Who It’s For

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How This Review Happened:

I borrowed this for an extended demo and sent it back.
Size: 157
Days: 4+
Conditions: Everything from moderate to good mid-winter snow and varied spring conditions.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs)
Boots: Ride Torrent, Ride Fuse, Nidecker Rift Lace, Ride Deadbolt
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Force, Union Ultra, Nidecker Kaon X
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Jones Mtn Surf Anorak, Skyline Fuse Jacket, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Jacket, Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Tusk Jacket,
Pant: Jones Mountain Surf Bib, Jones Shralpinist Stretch Bib,  Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant,
Helmet: Smith Maze
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Similar Boards We Like (but not the same): Never Summer Photosynthesis, Yes Greats, Stone Message, Lib Tech Box Knife, Yes Basic, Ride TwinPig,

James’s Set Up: 21.5” Wide. Sance Angles +15/-15. Close to Reference.

How It Was Tested

Every day I rode this, I rode the Gamma. Some days I rode the YES Greats too.

Approximate Weight

The Nidecker Gamma APX is on the light side of normal. It only felt a touch lighter than the Gamma. (We don’t put in the exact weight because with wood cores, there is no consistency in a board’s weight)

Sizing

This 157 was perfect for me. I wouldn’t want to size up or down.

Sizing is all about finding a balance between what fits your boot size and your weight for how you like to ride. Height comes in a distant 3^rd. Some prefer control, so matching the boot size is the priority. Others prefer dampness over control and like to size up. Regardless, you have to be most careful about finding the right boot size. If it’s too wide, you can’t turn it, and if it’s too narrow, you get the dreaded Toe & Heel Drag.

Here are some ideal US boot sizes for these boards. With this width, I would suggest staying below size 10
153: 8-9
157: 8.5-9.5

For weight, I would stay close to Nidecker’s recommended weight ranges on the 153 and keep it under 200 lbs for the 157.

Shape

The Nidecker Gamma APX is an asymmetrical twin with a shallow toe sidecut and a deeper heel sidecut. The tip/tail has a pretty unique asymmetrical shape.

Camber/On Snow Feel/Ability Level

There is a lot of camber but somehow Nidecker makes the Gamma APX forgiving with a short but abrupt early rise to a spoon nose/tail. It’s not super-forgiving, but I was expecting full to mostly camber. I’d still play it safe and just go advanced to expert but a committed intermediate who is ok with a little consequence might be ok.

Flex Personality

There is a medium but lively flex that gets a little softer in the tip/tail. It’s easy to get the nose/tail to butter, but the spoon nose/tail doesn’t have a flat point, so it’s hard to butter.

Man, can this board pop, though? I wish I had stressed that a little more in the video. It wasn’t hard for an average rider to get this to spring, either.

Uneven Terrain

Usually, the high-end board sacrifices dampness/chatter absorption for pop. The Nidecker Gamma APX doesn’t sacrifice too much to the point where I didn’t miss the Gamma when I switched to the APX model. It’s not going to light the chatter absorption world on fire but it’s very manageable.

Edge Hold

Competent but not super grippy edge hold. I felt like I got more out of my YES Greats in hard snow. Still, it’s pretty competent, and I didn’t feel much of the spoon nose/tail committing to the edge in a firm but not brick-hard snow.

Speed

The Nidecker Gamma APX has competent speed for a twin, but it’s not the most comfortable straight lining. The sidecut is ok to go straight, and it doesn’t feel hooky.

Base Glide

I love this base. You can feel the difference in glide vs. the Gamma. It’s very fast.

Turning Experience/Carving

The pop on an ollie is better, but this can still really carve well for a twin of this flex. It’s not for those who like high-speed hard carves, but if you like a lively, quick turner, it has a nice spring out of each turn. It turns pretty quickly edge to edge, too, and has a very tiny experience.

Powder

I didn’t ride this in pow because on the days I had pow, I wanted to get out on the more directional boards Nidecker sent. If you like full-camber twins in powder, this will be better than most. I found the spoon nose in the Alpha’s (same with the Gamma APX) didn’t add much or any float but the turning experience was really smooth.

Switch/Freestyle/Park

Super easy switch. Better than a true twin with a perfectly duck stance.

Pipe was fun, and it’s a good board there.

Jibs are ok as long as you don’t engage the spoon nose/tail but it’s not the best here.

I think someone who can hit big kickers might really like this board, but for guys like me who just want a little air, this will be fine, too.

Final Thoughts

I really liked everything about the Nidecker Gamma APX, but the spoon nose/tail on a butter. The rest was really fun, and the pop you get out of this board is special for how forgiving it is.